Pump dispenser



April 10, 1951 T. 1.. mus. 2,548,752

PUMP DISPENSER I Filed April 15, 1950 y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "2 I 4O 28 I 1 av I Fig.5 k 3O. 27 I u I 4 N r 1 1 ,1. 1

. INVENTOR. THOMAS L. mus BY ATTORNEY T. L. TlTUS PUMP DISPENSER April 1 0, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 15, 1950 Fig, 3

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INVENTOR. THOMAS 1.. TITUS ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 10, 1951 ThomasL. Titus, Cheyenne, Wy0., assignor'to Wyott' Manufacturing Co. Inc., a corporation of Wyoming Application April 15, 1950, Serial No. 156,190.

SClaims. (91.222-378) This invention relates topump dispensers, and in" the preferred embodiment, here illustrated, to such dispensers used for dispensing such food and beverage liquidsas melted butter, soda fountain'syrups, and the like, having a certain amount of viscosity.

It is a primary object of this invention-to provide a pump dispenser of the fewest possible parts and of economical construction, without sacrificing efliciency of operation, and permitting dis-- assembly for complete cleaning.

Another principal object of this invention is. to provide such a pump dispenser having the, conventional plunger and discharge tube members formed as one novel vertically operable pipe-like member.

Another object is to provide a novel simplified piston and floating cylinder construction in cooperation With such novel single plunger and discharge tube member.

Another object is to provide such a novelpump dispenser with the floating cylinder having a lower intake port adapted to be closed by a gravity resting thereof upon the floor of the liquid container.

Other and further objects will be apparentfrom the following detailed description,v and by reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of. my. novel pump dispenser, shown in inoperative condition ready for use;

Figure 2 is a partial vertical cross-sectional View thereof, showing the relationship of ,parts upon. commencement of plunger downstroke operation;

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 2, but 1111.15:- trates the relationship of parts at the moment. of return to uppermost plunger position after a full downstroke;

the plunger-tube, piston and floating cylinder, taken on the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the upper portion of the pump, taken. on the .line 55 of Figure 1, showing the plunger-tube, check valve, adjustable stopregulator post", spring clip catch, and regulator plate; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the outer portion of the spout, showing the removable head andspring yoke catch.

Throughout the various views of the drawings the same reference characters have been used to represent like parts.

Referring to the drawings, in Figure 1 .I have illustrated my pump dispenseras it is sometimes used, namely, with the inner vessel i, having the I liquid to be dispensed therein, placed'in an outer. vessel 3. In actual use, depending upon the liquid. to be dispensed'there are times when a refrigerant such as ice is placed in the outer vessel 3 and then there are times when a heater elementwill be used in a different design outer vessel 3 to of the view. My invention comprises. a novel pump, indicated generally as P, extending through the removable cover 2 of the container I, and hay-1 ing the pump floating cylinder 45 resting onthe floor of that container g the purpose, and

This invention is an improvement over my United States Patent No. 2,408,009, and pending application Serial No. 30,045. t

A tubular guide sleeve 4 v is silver soldered through an openingin the cover- 2, provided for:

rigidly to the cover, as illustrated. A regulator post 28' issol'dered to the upper side of the'cove'r, positioned with relation to the guide 4 as illustrated.;' A pipe-like plunger tube 8, having an external diameter adapted to fit snugly and slidably'through guide member 5;" is provided to: extend wellon both sidesof guide 4, and the lower end M thereof is slightly reduced in diameter for-reason to be explained. An ex}: tension 9, similar to 8 but of larger diameterv so I as to snugly overlap tube 8, is silver soldered to theupper open end of 3 and extendsfiupwardly a small distance. The top edge of tube 8, within tube extension 9, forms a valve seat forgravit'yf operable ball-check valve l0. An annular shoul- V provi'dea seatagainst which a stop regulator plate 2'! abuts. Stop or regula tor plate 2'|, of dog-leg design for opening to fit over the lower reduced periphery of member 9 and thenth e-two are w'eldedto' gether so that plate 21pr'ojects at 'ari gh t angle fromand as a rigid partfof the tube 3+9. An opening is provided inthe outer end of plate 2] and a suitable guide collar '40 is secured to that opening. The collar 40 has its inside diameter adapted to fit snuglyjand yet'slidablyover the exf terior of the post 28. Collar-'40 is a rigid part of plate 21, and is adapted for sliding movement along said post, as will'be explained. A pairyoi telescopically associated spring-cage sleeves, 5 and 6, are provided,,as illustrated, to. extend between the under side of plate 21 and the. top of the cover 2, in spaced relation around the'plunger tube 8-9. A suitable outwardly expanding coil tension spring 1 is placed around the. tube, 3+5 and within and between opposing inwardlyextendinghorizontal end portions of cage sleeves 5 and 6,.so as to normally exert an upward pres purpose of using? a short regulator post 28in association. there- V I r e V with,has its plungersideportion made withan Figure 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of. I

sure against the plate 21. A plurality of spaced apart annular grooves 29 is provided on the periphery of post 28, adapted to receive a tensioned snap-wire-clip 351 removably in any one of those grooves. Said clip 30 is designed to exert a sufiicient inward tension pressure, when snapped in place in alignment with a groove 25, as illus trated, to hold the plunger-tube 89, by its plate 21, against the tension of the coil spring I, as will befurther explained. The upper portion 9, of the plunger-tube 8-9, is externally threaded, and a suitable screw cap 25 is removably screw-threaded thereover, seating a gasket 26 for closing that end of the tube. A spout 20 is provided for extending an opening in the side of the tube opposite from the post 28 and a spaced distance below the top of the tube-plunger, whereby the latter distance provides a fluid channel off set for receiving the ball check upon discharge operation, as illustrated in Figure 2. A removable spout head, 2|, of suitable design as constructed and illustrated, is provided in the outer end of the spout, being tensionally held therein and against a washer gasket 22 by means of a yoke tensioned snap 24. Yoke 24 is pivoted at 3!, and formed as illustrated to exert an inward spring pressure on the spout head 2| when snapped into a transverse groove 32 provided in the head. A discharge port 23 is provided in the lower outer extremity of. the head 2 I. The inner diameter of spout 20 is less than the diameter of the ball check 10. Upper spring cage member 5 has its lower periphery flared at 6a, which acts to engage the cover 2 upon a downward movement of the plunger-tube, thus limiting the extent of movement thereof in that direction. The distance between the under side of flange 6a and the top of cover 2 defines the length of downward plunger stroke possible, upon downward pressure being exerted through cap 25. For a shorter stroke, the plunger is moved downwardly and the clip 32 removed from post 28, and when the desired position of the upper surface of plate 21 is aligned just below a different groove 29, from the one illustrated, for a definition of the length of such shorter stroke, then the clip 30 is seated in that new or different groove, as will be understood. Any number of grooves 29 may be provided on the post 28. The amount of the stroke of the plunger controls the amount of the liquid capable of being discharged from the cylinder 45 and tube 8, as will be explained. A washer-type piston 42, having a central opening adapted to fit removably and snugly on the reduced lower end 4| of the member B9, is placed so as to rest thereover upwardly against the peripheral shoul: der 4la, when a tensioned snap-wireclip 45 is seated in'a groove 43, provided-on the outer surface of the plunger-tube 8-9 for thatpurpose. Clip 44 is of similar design to clip 30, also exerting an inward tension pressure and being removable. I provide a floating cupshaped cylinder 45, having a pair of diametrically opposed inwardly-extending ears 46 on its rim, for reason to be explained, and a relatively large single intake port 41 in its flat bottom. To assemble the plunger-tube and piston assembly, with the piston within the cylinder, the cylinder is rocked or held at an angle of its rim which is acute to vertical plunger 89, using cylinder ears 45 as the axis for that purpose, and then the piston is slipped downwardly into the open cupcylinder to one side of ears 45, and the cup rim is gradually levelled as the piston enters the cylinder below the said ears. When so assembled, as illustrated, it will be noted that a vertical lifting of the entire cover and pump assembly, 2-P, will bring the cylinder 45 with it by means of ears 46. The plunger tube and associated parts are so designed that when the adj ustable stop means, 21--2829 and 30, is set for a maximum possible stroke of the plunger-tube, that piston 42 will not then lift cylinder 45, through ears 45, off from cylinder contact with outer container floor la. Cylinder intake port, 47, is sealed or closed during down-plunger stroke as a result of its (45) gravity seating on floor la, and that sealing is accentuated by a certain amount of liquid compression pressure, formed in 45 during down-piston movement tending to press the cylinder 45 against the upper surface of the outer container floor la, exerted through contact with the flat portion of the floor of 45 around 41.

I will now explain the operation of my novel pump-dispenser. Figure 1 illustrates the position of parts before the start of plunger-tube downstroke operation. Figure 2 illustrates the position after the start and during said plunger downstroke, when the liquid within the cup-cylinder 45 is being pressed downwardly by the piston 42, and being unable to escape anywhere except upwardly through the tube-plunger 8-9 the liquid is being forced to elevate up that tube and has raised the ball-check l0 and is being discharged from discharge port 23. That discharge of liquid will continue throughout the balance of the downstroke of the plunger or until the lower portion thereof and the piston reach the position indicated in dotted lines as 48, being the point at which the flange 6a is stopped by the upper surface of the cover 2. Upon release of pressure upon the cap 25 the spring 1 will then raise the plunger assembly, 89, 20, 21, 6, and the piston- 42 as a part thereof. Upon the start of that raising operation, the suction created by the piston raising off from adjacent the floor of the cupcylinder, together with the weight of the metallic ball-check valve H1, cause that ball to immediately move down to its valve seat 911, thereby trapping the liquid within the vertical tube-plunger as that tube-plunger and its piston start the return or rising operation. The continued rising of 88 and piston 42 causes sufficient suction to be created within the cup-cylinder 45 for effecting a raising of that cup-cylinder from the floor of the container soon after the start of the return of the plunger-piston. The return of the plunger assembly to the starting point, where the regulator plate 21 is pressed up against the stop clip a 30, is caused by tension spring I, and occurrs rapidly before the weight of the cup-cylinder 45 has caused it to fall back down onto container floor I a, which moment of the return of the pump to the starting point is illustrated in Figure 3. As soon as the cup-cylinder has been raised from the floor, as just explained, the upward suction. just explained, and the weight of the cup-cylinder causing the latter to fall, cause the surrounding liquid L to be sucked into the cup-cylinder, refilling the latter by the time it reaches a sealed condition on floor la, ready for another or next downstroke. The interval of time for the cupcylinder 45 to fall back down onto the floor 1a, after the stop 30 has been reached by plate 21, illustrated in Figure 3, is comparatively very small, depending, of course, upon the viscosity of the liquid within the container being pumped. While I have designed my modification here described and illustrated for use with liquids having snmeeeconsiderablea viscosity: resistance;;.-suchr as melted buttenit mayzof course; be satisfactorily used with. liquids. having, a smalhviscosity resist. tance. I have foundithat thezball-checkvalve IQ maybe: entirely eliminated, and yet. my pumpdis'penser satisfactorily used, when rather: heavy viscosity liquids are pumped thereby; In; the latter instance, the: viscosity: resistance of: the liquid? is sufiicient to; prevent .any' appreciable fallingzof the liquid within the tubeep1unger,,8 9, and-spout, ;,duringrefil1ingof the cup=cylinder,' as illustratedjnFigure 3; without: anyvalvein 3 at-alL. A very rapid refilling'operatiomtjust mentioned,.isaaccomplished as a resultof theelargewine takeaport 41, making possible-quick:successive discharge strokes downwardly upon the;- plunger;

To disassemble my pumpedispenser, as for cleaning purposes; the cover: 2, with'the entire pumpassembly, including the cup-cylinder, are raised. veritcally off and out of the container I; Thenrthe cup-cylinderv 454s swung; to one side. on. the ears as a. pivot andlremovedfrom; the piston 42, as previously explained during as-- sembly: Sprin clip-M isaremovedrand the-pistontaken off the pipe-member, 8'-9; Then; the: spring catch 30 is removed and. the plunger 89' and plate 27 are lifted'upwardly until. the lower portion: 8 is slippedup and; out guide-4l Cap and gasket 26 are-then removed. Spout head'Zl is removed then. by first lifting. the spring-yoke 24 or; its pivot. Springcage sleeves :5-and;6.,.;and the spring 1;. are their free of any connection- To reassemble. my unit, the: lower; cage; 5 is-ioosi: tioned .aroundl guide upper projection: of: 4,; the spring] placed withincage 5, and-thencaget is: Dl'acedover the plunger-tube from the bottom upwardlyuntil'iit;rests against plate: 2.1, andthen the plunger, withthe cage 6 in: such position, ;.is. inserted downwardly within the spring, cage 5 and: opening in I guide 4. .untiLthe-members 5' and 6- are telescopically associated together-against: the tension of the spring, and thenthe; opening incollar 4-B'is' placed over post 28-, andthecatch clip spring 30 placed in a groove 2.9"aft'errp1ate' 2,1 ispressed below that: clip. Then the piston 42 iszreplaced andsecured by springclipM- to the lower part of the plunger, andthe cup cylinder lipla'ced over theipiston. Thecap- IE andi'spout cap! I are replaced; andthenthe entire assembly is placed in-thecontainer Iwith th'escover por tion-restingthereon;

I Itwill thus-.be-seenxthat I have-perfected anew pump-dispenser, constructed of the fewest pos- Sible number of parts; and yet' of: sturdy-and eflicient construction. v Having thus shown-and described" a preferredeznbocliment of my invention, it is to' be under-v stood that I shall belimited in. the:.scope ,.spirit and teaching thereof only by" the appended claims.

What I claim and desire" to-secure by-Letters Patent-is;

1. A pump. dispenser comprising, a container having a flat floor and a removable cover, a single vertically operable plunger and dischargetube combined in one member, means forgso operably associating the plunger-tube with said cover, adjustable stop means for defining'the extent of downward plunger operation, tension means. associated with the plunger-tube for normally holding it upwardly; awasher=piston removably and rigidly secured to the lower portion. of. said plunger-tube, aspout extension from the. upper portion ofsaidplunger tube', and a freely rockably floating upright open-topped cup-shaped cylinderv associated: withgsaid piston; and-chairing; az.:-flatc bottom and; a single: large: intake. port formedyinitabottom; said port: being; adapted. to; be closed. upon downstroke operation of. the plungeretube. by; gravity; contact betweerrqsaid cylinderrentire bottomand thezcorrespondingzsurface ofuthe-floor'of the containerrsaidpiston beingfree to rock during operation and,with.relation to. said'piston;

2.- A pumpdispenser-as definedin claiml, and

characterized: further by thedefinitionv 'Ofjthe cylinder-"having a diametricallyopposed. pairof ears; inwardly extending from adjacent. its: top port-ion, saidqtension; means: being inassociation withsaid stop means, theadjustablestopmeans; tensionimeans, piston and cylinder each being;re. movable with, relation to eachother and: the cover, said-spout extending from a point. a: spaced distance below'the top-of said plunger-tube-and above the cover comprising a by-pass, theinner diameter of the plunger-discharge tube being larger than the inner diameter of the spout, and a. gravity operable ball checkvalve. within the discharge. tube adjacent the spout extension therefrom and being of larger. diameter than'the internal diameter of the spout and: being operable within thev discharge. tube to beraised, upon and by liquid discharge, to a point within the discharge tube by-p-ass above the juncture ,of. thespout therewith.

3. Apump-dispenser comprising, a container. havin afiat flooranda removable cover,.a single plunger-tube member mounted for slidable op.- erationthrough, the. cover and-having a spout; extending. therefrom above the cover, resilient means associatedwiththe plungertube .for normally urging it. upwardly, adjustable stop means associated with. the plunger-tube for defining the extent of downward plunger operation, aiwashertype piston removably and rigidly securedto; the lower, portion of the-plunger-tube, and. a. freely floating and rockableupright positioned. cup shaped cylinder, rockablewith relation to the'pise ton,.and having, an intake port opening formed in its floor andbeing loosely associated with said. piston, means. for. effecting. such. association of the cylinderwith. the piston, and said. cylinder having a. fully flat floor. portion aroundsaid'port and withsaid portion. adapted to normally rest on the. container fiat floor and to. thereby efiect a closing ofsaid port.

4.. A. pump-dispenser as defined by claim. 3, andcharacterized further by the definitionof. the means. forlefiecting said rockable association of the cylinder. with. relation. to the. piston. asv also. comprising: means for. permitting a removalfloi. the. .cylinderfrom. the piston upon, a rocking, of, the-cylinder. with relationto, the piston... 5. A. pumpdispenser comprising,..a container having afl'at floor and aremovable cover, asingla plunger-tube member slidably extending through the cover and having aspout, resilient means associatedwith the. plunger and cover. for normally urging it upwardly, adjuSta'bIestopmeans including'a removable spring clip.,..for. defining. maximum plunger operation, a washer-shaped pistonrigidl'y and removably secured to the-lowerportion-of. the; plunger-tube, and a freely floating and roekable upright cup-cylinder having: a diametrically: opposed pair of inwardly extending ears adjacent its upper portion and afully flat? floorportion and asingl'e. intake portformed in said floor' portiomhsaid cup-cylinder being:

adapted: to be;closed: by said: fiat.portionr thereofi gravity-resting on; the container: fiatifloon: said:

piston being removably associated within the cylinder and below said ears, said ears comprising means for effecting said rockable floating of the cylinder with relation to the piston and also for effecting said removable association relationship of the cylinder and piston, and means for so securing said piston to the plunger-tube.

6. A pump dispenser comprising a container having a removable cover and a, fiat floor, and a pump assembly carried by the cover, said cover having an openin therein, said assembly comprising a guide sleeve secured to the cover and in said opening, a regulator post rigidly secured to the top of the cover at one side and adjacent the opening, a plunger-tube member slidably and snugly operably extending through said sleeve from above the upper side of the cover to therebelow and adjacent the floor of the-c011- tainer and having a reduced portion forming a shoulder at its lower end and a horizontal innerperipheral ball check valve seat adjacent its upper end and its extreme upper end being removably closed by a cap means, a spout extending from a point below the upper end of the plunger-tube and in a position remote from said post and above said valve seat, a gravity operable ball check valve of larger diameter than the inner diameter of said spout and positioned within the plunger-tube above said valve seat and being adapted to normally rest thereon and to be operably raised above said valve seat by and upon liquid discharge plunger operation, a removable spout head on the outer end of said spout and having a discharge port, spring-yoke means for so securing said head to the spout end, a regulator plate having one end thereof rigidly secured to the outside of the plunger-tube above the cover and the other end thereof formed as a guide means adapted to slidably and snugly encircle and be supported by the post,. a pair of telescopically associated spring cage members removably and spacedly enclosing the plunger-tube between the upper surface of the cover and the regulator plate, an outwardly expanding coil tension spring within said cage members, removable spring clip means associated with the post for holding the regulator plate therebelow against the tension of the coil spring, a disc-like piston having an opening adapted to fit snugly and removably over the reduced portion of the plungertube and against the said shoulder thereof, removable spring clip means associated with said reduced portion for holding the piston against said shoulder, and a removable floating cupshaped cylinder associated with said piston and being adapted to normally rest on the floor of the container and having a diametrically opposed pair of ears inwardly extending adjacent the top portion of the cylinder and over said piston and having a single relatively large intake port formed in the floor of the cylinder, said intake port being adapted to be normally closed by a gravity resting of the cylinder upon the floor of the container, said ears comprising means for effecting a holding of the cylinder onto the piston upon vertical lifting of the cover and pump assembly from the container and for disassembling the cylinder'and piston by a rocking of the one with relation to the other upon the line of the opposed ears a an axis, the length of the plunger-tube and positioning of the piston there on with relation to the depth of the container and of the cup-cylinder being such as to permit the piston to be elevated above the floor of the cup-cylinder substantially to a point adjacent the under side of said ears andso as not to'cause the cup-cylinder to be lifted off of the floor of the container when the tension spring holds the plunger in inoperative position.

7. A pump combination comprising a horiozntal surface submerged below the liquid to be pumped, a pipe mounted for a limited vertical down and up movement and extending from above the liquid to a point within the liquid where its extreme downstroke will be in close proximity to the horizontal surface, a disc-like" piston rigidly secured to the lower end of said pipe, means for accomplishing vertical return movement of the pipe upon downward movement thereof, a fully floatin upright open-topped cuplike cylinder loosely associated with said piston and having an intake port in its floor adapted to be gravity sealed by the cylinder resting on said horizontal surface, said pipe comprising a plunger and discharge tube combined, and means for so associating the cylinder with the piston including a pair of diametrically opposed inwardly extending members carried by the cylinder, said members being adapted for permitting a rocking assembly and disassembly of said cylinder with relation to said piston.

8. A pump combination comprising a horizontal surface havin a vertical pipe operably mounted for limited and adjustable plunger movement therethrough and for returning the pipe to its original position, means for effecting said mountin and returning, a second horizontal surface adapted to be submerged below the liquid to be pumped and positioned'a spaced distance below the lower end of the pipe, means for positioning and holding the second surface with relation to the first surface, a washer-shaped piston rigidly and removably secured to the lower end of said pipe, and a fully floating open-topped upright cup-cylinder having a floor and being loosely and removably. associated with said piston, an intake port in the cup floor and adapted to be gravity sealed upon a gravity seating of the cup floor with said second horizontal surface, said cup-cylinder being adapted to normally rest on said second surface, said cup-cylinder havin a pair of inwardly extending and diametrically opposing ears formed adjacent its upper portion adapted to be normally positioned above said piston, said pipe comprising a plunger and discharge tube combined in one member, said floating cup-cylinder being limited in its floating by its floor on the one hand and by said ears on the other hand each contacting said piston, and said ears comprising means for permitting free rocking of the cup-cylinder with relation to both the ears and the piston, and thereby upon such a rocking with relation to the ears thereby permitting insert or removal of said piston into or out of said cylinder, respectively, and means for so securing the piston to the pipe.

THOMAS L. TITUS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

} UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Q Number Date Q Bernhardt -Jan. 26, 1937 

